The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., January 12, 1939, page 1

THE SENTINEL SURVEYS SIXTY YEARS OF COUNTY JOURNALISM

     Third oldest newspaper in Washington from standpoint of continuous publication, The Goldendale Sentinel this month is observing its sixtieth birthday.  Established in 1879, just 10 years before Washington became a state., The Sentinel today has only two state contemporaries who are older.  They are the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Waitsburg Times.
     Files of the first Sentinel have long ago been destroyed by pioneers like Mrs. E.M. Slutz and W. H. Ward recall that an itinerant printer named John Sites established the first printing shop in Goldendale and it ran off the first copy of The Sentinel in 1879.
     This first paper, described as a tiny, one page, hand-set sheet was called the Klickitat Sentinel.  Printed on a hand press, probably not more than 100 copies of the first Sentinel were ever published.
     Where John Sites, The Sentinel's founder came from or where he went apparently has been forgotten.  Like many of the journeyman printers of his day he probably sold out for a few dollars and went on to the next pioneer community with his composing stick and the proverbial hat full of type.
     Ralph O. (Oregon) Dunbar, a young Goldendale attorney who later became a member of Washington state supreme court, took over this newspaper Sites had started.  During the next half dozen years, Dunbar, with the assistance of Cale S. Reinhart, another young Goldendale Republican who later became clerk of the supreme court, raised The Sentinel to a place of prominence among the journals of territorial Washington.

Many Papers

     Today's Goldendale Sentinel is the scion of a number of newspapers, all at one time or another prominent in Klickitat county history.  The first of these, and the only one to contribute part of its name to the present Sentinel's masthead, was the Goldendale Gazette.  The Gazette, established in 1880, was edited by one Captain W. A. Wash, old Confederate Army officer prominent in the early history of Goldendale.
     For three years the Klickitat Sentinel and The Goldendale Gazette were rivals for local circulation and advertising.  Then, in March of 1884, the two newspapers merged to form The Goldendale Sentinel.  This paper, operated under the editorship of Reinhart for a number of years into the days of Washington statehood.
     Through its early years The Sentinel has witnessed most of the ups and downs of pioneer journalism.  Though apparently no copies of the edition are still extant, legend has it that The Sentinel once came out printed on wallpaper when newsprint failed to arrive from The Dalles in time for publication.
     Since that day 60 years ago when John Sites established The Sentinel in a tiny building on the north side of Broadway with the late Dr. Bonebrake’ss residence now stands, this newspaper has had many homes.  In its 60 years of publication The Sentinel has gone to press in the building now occupied by the Goldendale Laundry, in an old building located where the Reliance Creamery now stands, in a structure long since destroyed near the present Ward building and in the frame office on Upper Main street now operated by Fred Oltmann’s print shop.

Seek Old Papers

     One of The Sentinel's early publisher editors, W.F. Byars, still contributes to the newspaper he was associated with for nearly 20 years.  Byars contributes the column “Clippings of the Past,” taken from early files of The Sentinel.  Another of The Sentinel's former publishers, who was at the helm of this newspaper from 1929 until 1936, is Irving S. Bath, now of Portland.  Still another present Goldendale resident, who once was associated with the publication of the Sentinel is E.C. Ward, attorney.
     At least four residents of Klickitat county who were original subscribers of The Sentinel in 1879 still survive.  They are: W. H. Ward, pioneer Goldendale harness maker; Mrs. E.M. Slutz, Goldendale; D. H. Stegman, and John Mattson, both Centreville ranchers.
     In all likelihood other pioneers, still living in Klickitat county or other sections of the Northwest, were on the first subscription list of The Sentinel.  The Sentinel publishers would appreciate hearing from any of these subscribers of 60 years ago.  If original copies of The Sentinel published in 1879 or of the wallpaper edition are still extant their owners are urged to contact the publishers.